Most Shopify stores don't have one big problem. They have a dozen small ones: an app that was uninstalled but left its code behind, a hero image that loads last, product pages Google can't read properly, purchase tracking that quietly stopped in August. Each costs a little. Together they cost a lot.
This is the checklist our developers use when we audit a Shopify store. It has 22 checks in six groups. For each one you'll find what to look for, why it matters and how to fix it. You can work through it by hand, or run our free Shopify store audit, which checks your public pages automatically and explains the three problems costing you the most.
How to use this checklist
Start with the groups at the top. Tracking and platform deadlines come first because they break things outright: if purchases don't reach your ad platforms, every other optimisation is measured wrongly. Speed and SEO come next, then conversion and accessibility.
You need three things:
- Your store's home page, one collection page and one product page open in Chrome.
- PageSpeed Insights for speed data from real visitors (the Core Web Vitals report at the top).
- Access to Settings > Customer events and Online Store > Preferences in your Shopify admin.
Tracking: 1 check
1. Purchases are tracked through Customer Events pixels
Since August 26, 2026, code on the Thank you and Order status pages only runs through Customer Events pixels on every plan. Tags pasted into the theme, Google Tag Manager containers in theme.liquid and old Additional scripts no longer see purchases.
How to check: open Settings > Customer events. You should see an app pixel for each ad platform you use (Google & YouTube, Meta, TikTok) or a custom pixel. Then place a test order with the Pixel Helper open and confirm a checkout_completed event fires.
How to fix: connect the official sales channel apps or add a custom pixel. Our Thank you page tracking guide walks through it step by step.
Platform deadlines: 2 checks
2. No app script tags
Apps used to add JavaScript to storefronts through Shopify's script tag API. Apps can no longer create or update script tags, and existing ones stop running on March 1, 2027. Whatever those scripts do (reviews, upsells, chat, size guides) will disappear from your storefront.
How to check: view the page source of your home page and search for asyncLoad. The URLs listed there are script tags. Our free Shopify tracking checker lists them for you.
How to fix: ask each app's developer whether they've moved to a theme app extension. If not, replace the app. Our theme app extensions guide explains the difference.
3. The theme supports Online Store 2.0
Vintage themes such as Debut, Brooklyn, Narrative, Venture, Simple, Supply, Boundless and Minimal predate Online Store 2.0 (2021). They can't use app blocks or sections on every page, so apps inject code instead, and they no longer get feature updates.
How to fix: plan a move to a current theme. It's a good moment to remove apps you no longer need.
Speed: 7 checks
Google measures speed with three Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint (good: 2.5 seconds or less), Interaction to Next Paint (good: 200 ms or less) and Cumulative Layout Shift (good: 0.1 or less). These checks cover the causes we see most.
4. A reasonable number of apps load code
Count the third-party domains loading scripts on your home page, plus the apps loading through theme app extensions. Ten or more is worth reviewing; we regularly find 20 or more. Each one competes with your theme for the browser, and uninstalled apps often leave code in theme.liquid or snippets.
5. No render-blocking scripts in the head
A <script src> in the <head> without async or defer must download and run before the browser draws anything. Three or more usually adds visible delay on mobile. Add defer, or load them from an app embed.
6. The hero image isn't lazy-loaded
loading="lazy" is right for images further down the page and wrong for the first big image, which is usually your LCP element. Set it to loading="eager" with fetchpriority="high".
7. The server responds quickly
Shopify's servers are fast, so a slow first response usually comes from the theme: heavy Liquid loops, many sections, or apps rendering on the server. Profile it with the Shopify Theme Inspector for Chrome.
8. The home page HTML is a sensible size
If the HTML alone is over about 650 KB, look for inline JSON, duplicated mega menus and hidden sections.
9. Images have width and height
Without dimensions the browser can't reserve space, so the layout jumps as images load. Shopify's image_tag filter adds width and height for you.
10. No legacy jQuery
Modern themes don't need jQuery. If it's still loading, find the old theme code or app that depends on it.
SEO: 8 checks
11. Product pages have Product structured data
This is the check we fail most often on older and customised themes. Without Product (or ProductGroup) JSON-LD, Google can't show price, stock or review stars, and your products are harder to list in free Shopping listings. Shopify's structured_data filter outputs it in one line. Test with Google's Rich Results Test.
12. Product links use the canonical URL
Many themes link to products as /collections/shoes/products/runner. Shopify points the canonical to /products/runner, but your internal links still send Google to thousands of duplicate URLs. Remove within: collection from product links.
13. Product images have alt text
Alt text helps Google Images and screen reader users. Add it in each product's media.
14. The home page meta description is set
Without one, Google writes its own snippet. Aim for 120 to 160 characters that say what you sell and why you.
15. The home page title is the right length
Google shows about 60 characters. Brand plus what you sell is usually enough.
16. One H1 on the home page
Themes often make the logo, the hero heading and a section title all H1s. Keep one.
17. A share image is set
Without og:image, links to your store look bare on WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Facebook. Set one in Online Store > Preferences.
18. No insecure http:// images
Old images pasted into descriptions can still load over http://. Browsers may block them.
Conversion: 3 checks
19. Product pages show reviews
Reviews are the strongest trust signal on a product page and add stars to search results. If you have none, add a reviews app and send a request after delivery.
20. Products have real descriptions
If a third or more of your products have under about 150 characters of description, start with the best sellers: benefits, specifications, sizing and care.
21. Most products are in stock
When a quarter of a catalogue is sold out, shoppers keep landing on products they can't buy. Sort sold-out items to the end of collections, add back-in-stock alerts, or hide discontinued products.
Accessibility: 1 check
22. Images on the home page have alt attributes
The European Accessibility Act has applied to many online shops selling to EU consumers since June 28, 2025 (in Germany through the BFSG). Missing alt attributes are the easiest accessibility issue to find and fix. Decorative images should have alt="".
How to prioritise what you find
| Group | Typical impact | Typical effort |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking | High: ad platforms optimise on wrong data | Low to medium |
| Platform deadlines | High: features stop working on a fixed date | Medium |
| Speed | Medium to high, especially on mobile | Low (lazy loading, defer) to high (app clean-up, theme move) |
| SEO | Medium, builds over months | Low to medium |
| Conversion | Medium | Ongoing content work |
| Accessibility | Legal risk in the EU, better UX for everyone | Low |
Fix anything that breaks measurement first, then quick wins (lazy loading, defer, alt text, meta description), then the bigger jobs (app clean-up, structured data, theme migration).
When to bring in a developer
Most SEO and content checks are admin work. Tracking, script tags, render-blocking code, structured data and theme migrations usually need theme code changes. If you'd like a second pair of eyes, our Shopify SEO and maintenance teams fix these every week, and you can run the free audit first to see where your store stands.
